It's A Wonderful Life
by my name is keith stone
Summary: After failing to defeat the Dark Archer, Oliver tells Diggle that Starling City would have been better off if he had died with his father and Sarah in the shipwreck. Can the ghost of Robert Queen show him otherwise? An Arrow version of It's A Wonderful Life. I tried to get it out before christmas, but better late than never.
1. Chapter 1

"Did I hear that right?" Diggle asked Oliver.

"Yes," Oliver responded looking out the hospital window, "I think everyone would have been better off if I hadn't survived the shipwreck."

"You know that's not true, Oliver," Diggle responded.

"Since I've been back all I have done is cause trouble for my family, and for Starling City," Oliver said, "those people would have never been killed by the other archer if I hadn't gone after them in the first place."

"And how about all of the people you've helped?" Diggle countered, "Including me."

"You would have been fine, Dig. You would have never been put into harms way if you hadn't been hired as my bodyguard anyway."

"You're wrong, Oliver," Diggle said before walking out of the hospital room.

Oliver thought about how he had failed to stop the other archer earlier that night, and about how he forced his family to throw a Christmas party that none of them even wanted in the first place. He meant what he said. He truly believed that everyone he cared about would have been better off if he had been killed in the shipwreck five years ago.

"Oliver," said a familiar voice behind him.

Stunned, Oliver turned around to see his father standing in the room with him. "No," he said, "not again. I'm going crazy!"

"Yes, you are," his father said to him, "but not for the reasons you think you are. Who are you to say that everyone would have been better off without you?"

"All I've done since I've been back in Starling City is cause pain for everyone. Mom, Thea, Walter, Laurel, everyone."

"You have no idea how many ways you are wrong," Robert responded.

"Prove me wrong then, Dad," Oliver shot back.

"I will," Robert said before placing his hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to show you what all of their lives would be like right now if you had died on the shipwreck."


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are we?" Oliver asked his father.

"The glades," Robert responded.

"I know that, but how did we get here? And again, how are you here?"

"Just focus, Oliver," Robert told his son before pointing at someone, "Do you recognize that man there?"

Oliver looked intently at a homeless man sitting at a dirty street corner. "No," he responded.

"Look again," Robert told his son.

Oliver looked again, and was immediately able to tell who it was this time, "Mr. Lance."

"Yes," Robert responded.

"I would think that he'd be the one to benefit most from my being dead," Oliver said to him.

"He still thinks very lowly of you," Robert explained, "but his depression from losing his entire family proved to be too much for him, and he lost his job on the police force."

Oliver stopped to think, "His entire family? What about Laurel?"

Robert touched his son's shoulder again, and they immediately transported to Laurel's apartment. She was sitting alone looking at files for her case against Martin Somers.

"Oh no," Oliver said as he put together the pieces of what was going on. Before he could say anything else, China White broke into the apartment and immediately slit Laurel's throat.

"NO!" Oliver shouted, trying hopelessly to stop it.

"You weren't here with her," Robert said, "therefore, John Diggle never came in to save you two."

"Get me out of here," Oliver said, "please, I don't want to see this anymore."

"You were so sure that Starling City would be better off without you," Robert responded, "so I still need to show you how the rest of its inhabitants have 'benefited' from your death."


	3. Chapter 3

"The courthouse?" Oliver asked looking around, "what are we doing here?"

"We have a trial to watch," Robert told his son, leading him into a courtroom.

There was a trial in session, and a witness was about to take the stand to testify. Oliver recognized the witness, it was Malcolm Merlyn.

"Mr. Merlyn," started the Starling City D.A., "how do you know the defendant?"

"He's my son," Merlyn stated. Oliver turned around in disbelief, but saw that Tommy truly was the one on trial.

"And did you see your son on the afternoon of November 13th?" the D.A. asked him.

"I did," Merlyn responded, "he was angry at me for cutting him off from the family trust fund."

"Why did you cut your son off?"

"He was spending money irresponsibly. He spent it on alcohol, drugs, strippers, and hookers, and I was trying to teach him a lesson."

"And what happened on the night of November 17th?"

"I was in my office because I needed to work late, and I heard some commotion outside of the office. Before I could look to see what it was, my office doors flew open, and a man in a black mask was pointing a gun at me."

"Did the man say anything to you?"

"Yes," Merlyn responded, "he said 'You did this to yourself, Dad.'"

"What happened next?"

"My chief of security, John Diggle, shot him in the shoulder, and he ran away. I told Mr. Diggle not to pursue because I did not want my son to get hurt, and I believed that the police would easily be able to catch him."

"What?" Oliver asked to himself, "What does this have to do with me?"

"After Tommy's father cut him off, he had nothing to turn to," Robert responded, "not Laurel, and not his best friend."

"So he tried to kill his dad?"

"He was lost," Robert said, "he didn't see any logical way to help himself, and he went crazy."

Oliver looked to the ground, and Robert could tell that he was finally starting to see the impact he had on the lives of the people he cared for, but there was still one more thing Oliver needed to see: his family.


	4. Chapter 4

"I've seen enough," Oliver told his father.

"No," Robert said, "no you haven't."

It didn't take Oliver long to realize that he was now in the Queen Mansion.

"Where is everybody?" Oliver asked, noticing that the house was nearly deserted.

Robert simply stood there, not answering his son's question. Oliver began walking around the house, and eventually made his way to his mother's bedroom, where he saw a nurse attending to her.

"Mrs. Steele," the nurse said, "you need to take your medication."

"What's the point?" Moira said, "What's the point of living any longer? I've lost two husbands, a son, and now a daughter."

"Walter? Thea?" Oliver reacted, "What happened to them?"

"No one stopped Floyd Lawton at the stock offering," Robert replied, "he killed Walter and many other CEOs."

"And what about Thea?"

"No one knows," Robert said, "her big brother wasn't there to stop her from doing cocaine, so she became addicted, and after that, she just went off the radar. No one has seen her in months."

Oliver stopped and thought to himself. Maybe he was wrong. He had done much more good for this city than he had previously thought. He turned around to look at his father, but he was gone. Oliver suddenly realized that he was back in his hospital room, on Christmas Eve.

"Oliver," said the nurse as she opened the door, "how are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," he replied.

The End


End file.
